Common Places

Nathan Johnson, Provost of Davenant Hall, interviews Professor Ryan Hurd about his upcoming courses at Davenant Hall, Reformed Scholasticism, Thomas Aquinas, and the love and mercy of God. To learn more about Professor Hurd's courses, and to register, please visit: Thomas Aquinas Seminar I: The Sentences https://davenanthall.com/product/thomas-aquinas-seminar-i-the-sentences/ Master of the Sacred Page: Senses of Holy Scripture https://davenanthall.com/product/senses-of-holy-scripture/

A lecture with Q&A entitled "Italy's Forgotten Reformation" by Dr. Chris Castaldo. To the surprise of many, Italy, the seat of Roman Catholicism, underwent a Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century that reverberated throughout the country. From 1511 until 1542, home-grown movements of gospel renewal coalesced with the teaching of northern Protestant Reformers to produce a host of Italian preachers, commentators, theologians, and committed laypeople who believed that the authority of Scripture and the doctrine of justification were the leading edge of Christian identity and calling. This dynamic movement in Italy transformed segments of the Roman church, on both the lay level and in the upper echelons of the curia, until it was stamped out by the Roman Inquisition. In this lecture Dr. Chris Castaldo offers an introduction to the chief exponents, contributions, and enduring lessons of this now forgotten episode of church history. Chris Castaldo serves as lead pastor of NEW COVENANT CHURCH in Naperville, Illinois. He is the author of Talking with Catholics about the Gospel and co-author of The Unfinished Reformation: What Unites and Divides Catholics and Protestants After 500 Years. He recently contributed to Lost and Found: How Jesus Helped Us Discover Our True Selves, published by The Gospel Coalition. Chris blogs at www.Chriscastaldo.com For more information about Davenant Hall, please visit www.Davenanthall.com

A presentation given at the Fall 2022 Carolinas Regional Convivium entitled "The Place of the Human Body in Natural Law" by Dr. Eduardo Echeverria.

The keynote presentation given at the Fall 2022 Carolinas Regional Convivium entitled "Natural Law and Protestant Social Thought" by Dr. Jordan J. Ballor. Jordan J. Ballor directs the research agenda of the Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy (CRCD), which includes oversight of research publications as well as pursuit of his own scholarship, popular speaking, and writing. He has previously held research positions at the Acton Institute and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and has doctorates in Reformation history from the University of Zurich and in moral theology from Calvin Theological Seminary.

A presentation given at the Fall 2022 Carolinas Regional Convivium entitled "Law, Justice and International Order: Wisdom from Thucydides" by Dr. Nathan Johnson

A lecture with Q&A by Dr. Jason Lepojärvi entitled "C.S. Lewis and the Personal Opinion Fallacy." Perhaps now more than ever, authors can become targets of critics who mistake the views expressed by their characters, plot, or atmosphere for views held by the authors themselves. Authors then begin to censor themselves, fearing that the opinions expressed in their art will be equated with their own. The end result is a bland, homogenous world of fiction, lacking in both diversity of perspective and vigor of expression. In this lecture, Dr. Jason Lepojärvi reflects on this particular form of literary misreading and its contribution to other literary maladies. This form of misreading is closely related to what C. S. Lewis and E.M.W. Tillyard called “The Personal Heresy” and what W. K. Wimsatt and M. C. Beardsley called “The Intentional Fallacy,” but is distinct from both. Dr. Lepojärvi presents an argument based on Lewis’s writing which can serve as a possible solution to this pervasive literary fallacy. The handout for this lecture can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1g1OLK5OQ790MIELl79nlKweKYfoSOGfL/view?usp=share_link You can find more information about Davenant Hall here: https://davenanthall.com/ You can find more resources from Dr. Lepojärvi from his Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@jasonlepojarvi/featured and his Academia.edu page: https://georgefox.academia.edu/JasonLepoj%C3%A4rvi

A lecture with Q&A by Dr. Andrew Messmer entitled "Spain's Forgotten Reformation." The Spanish Reformation has been almost completely forgotten, including by many 16th century specialists. Yet its roots preceded Luther, and it secretly attracted scores of top-level Spanish clergymen and academics across the country. It was insistent on equally stressing orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Had the Spanish Inquisition not snuffed it out, it may have been the most promising Reformation of all. In this lecture, Dr. Andrew Messmer introduces the major figures and questions of the Spanish Reformation’s first 100 years. What did the Spanish Reformers believe? Why was the Spanish Reformation unsuccessful? What would a Spanish Church look like today? These questions will be examined, along with key Reformers such as Juan de Valdés, Constantino de la Fuente, Casiodoro de Reina, and others. Andrew Messmer (Ph.D., Evangelische Theologische Faculteit) is Academic Dean of Seville Theological Seminary (Spain); Associated Professor at the International Faculty of Theology IBSTE (Spain); Affiliated Researcher at Evangelical Theological Faculty (Belgium); and editor of the World Evangelical Alliance’s Spanish journal Revista Evangélica de Teología. He has written and edited books and articles in Spanish and English. His Spanish page is WWW.CASAREINAYVALERA.COM, where he writes about all things related to Christianity. He is married and has five children.

A lecture with Q&A given by visiting Davenant Hall Teaching Fellow, Dr. Matt Hoskins. In the fifth century, the Church decisively rejected Nestorianism―the teaching that Jesus Christ is comprised of two persons hitched together, one human and one divine. This rejection was shared by Church Fathers writing across the Mediterranean in different languages, such as John Cassian in Latin, Shenoute of Atripe in Coptic, and Mark the Monk in Greek. Far from being a dry doctrinal dispute, the rejection of Nestorianism was vital for the preservation of the Gospel. In this lecture, Dr. Matthew Hoskin demonstrates how, despite their diverse tongues and contexts, Latin, Coptic, and Greek authors were united in their rejection of Nestorianism through a shared concern for its negative impact on spiritual life. All knew that only a true union of God and man in the person of Christ can bring good news and spiritual fruit to the personal lives of Christians. Dr Matthew Hoskin (PhD, University of Edinburgh) teaches ancient and medieval Christian history for Davenant Hall. His research focusses on manuscripts, monks, popes, canon law, and councils, which all feature in his book The Manuscripts of Leo the Great’s Letters (2022), and he blogs about the historic faith at Classically Christian. He lives on Superior’s northern shore in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with his wife and sons.

A debate between Jonathan Leeman and Brad Littlejohn on "Religious Liberty and the Common Good," hosted by Colorado Christian University (www.ccu.edu). Christianity in America faces dire threats from two directions. On the one hand, unfriendly government bureaucrats and downright hostile woke activists are tightening the screws on Christians’ freedom of worship, expression, and conscience. At the same time, churches themselves are not immune to the profound crisis of authority that has engulfed our public life, and the reflexive “me and my rights” individualism that has undermined the very concept of institutional norms and the common good. How can we stand up for authentic religious liberty in an age of license and moral chaos? And on what basis should we advocate in the public square for policies that protect the church? Different Protestant traditions have offered sharply different understandings of the relationship between individual conscience, the institutional church, and the responsibility of civil government. Jonathan Leeman is the editorial director for 9Marks. After doing undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science, Jonathan began his career in journalism where he worked as an editor for an international economics magazine in Washington, D.C. Since his call to ministry, Jonathan has earned a master of divinity and a Ph.D. in theology and worked as an interim pastor. Today he edits the 9Marks series of books as well as the 9Marks Journal and is the co-host of Pastors Talk. He has written for a number of publications and is the author or editor of a number of books. Jonathan lives with his wife and four daughters in a suburb of Washington, DC and serves as an elder at Cheverly Baptist Church. He teaches adjunctively at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Reformed Theological Seminary. You can follow him on Twitter at @JonathanLeeman. Dr. Bradford Littlejohn (Ph.D., University of Edinburgh) is the Founder and President of the Davenant Institute. He also works as a Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center and has taught for several institutions, including Moody Bible Institute-Spokane, Bethlehem College and Seminary, and Patrick Henry College. He is recognized as a leading scholar of the English theologian Richard Hooker and Has published and lectured extensively in the fields of Reformation history, Christian ethics, and political theology. He lives in Landrum, SC with his wife, Rachel, and four children. Follow him on Twitter at @WBLITTLEJOHN

A Q&A discussion featuring Protestant Social Teaching Contributors Brad Littlejohn, Mark LiVecche, and Jake Meador discussing their respective chapters at the Protestant Social Teaching launch event, hosted by the Institute on Religion and Democracy in Washington D.C. A full recording of the event featuring individual remarks from each speaker can be found here: https://youtu.be/Ea3PvhAJADw